Now a days when my parents go out, they just carry one backpack. It holds all of their stuff, be it wallets, phones, makeup, water or extra clothing. To still carry a purse is just...impractical.
They do and it is somewhat unarguable. However, I often put my phone and keys and crap in my wife's bag so I can be a more efficient hunter gatherer/drunk.
Hey, large bags and purses are great. You'd be surprised at how many beers you can fit in them.
Granted, my gf always complains how heavy the bags become, but I'm like "hey, I'm working on lightening the load, but I want to enjoy my drinks here- not get tanked before dinner... again." The nerve of her.
The reason I've gravitated towards arm bags is cause having the strap across my chest just makes my boobs stand out :\ I currently have one that converts between a short and long strap just in case I have to carry it that way, but I try to avoid it.
In general, guys love the strap across the chest/between the boobs look. My fiancee only carries one bag with her.. a purse. She never has those massive arm bags and really has no interest in them so it's all good. I love giving her my stuff to carry although she'll whine about it a little bit every time even if it's like a pack of gum or something completely weightless. On days we go to the gym, she'll of course have a separate gym bag.
I bring a bag to work with me every day (leather messenger bag) myself and carry a separate gym bag on days when necessary.